


Codename: Dimples

by MaskofCognito



Series: Alternative Nano Challenge [14]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternative Nano Challenge, Crush, Fluff, M/M, One Shot, Short, Stumbling with words, friends are assholes, poking fun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-14
Updated: 2019-11-14
Packaged: 2021-01-30 18:24:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21432700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaskofCognito/pseuds/MaskofCognito
Summary: Caleb has been crushing hard on a regular that comes into his shop. Problem: he doesn't know his name. And he doesn't know how to find out what it is. Cue brilliant friend and co-worker, Sarah, running to the rescue.
Relationships: Caleb/Lucas
Series: Alternative Nano Challenge [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1534499
Comments: 1
Kudos: 5





	Codename: Dimples

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Name

Caleb had never before thought much about names and what they mean. He has a name. It is Caleb. Does he love it? Hate it? He’s more just… meh. Honestly, he’s lived with it for just over thirty years now and it’s… well, it’s a name. What more can he say?

So, why now of all times is he stricken with the urge to know someone else’s? Perhaps it’s curiosity. Maybe it’s just the want of knowing what to call someone rather than that-one-hot-guy-with-a-great-sense-of-humor-and-adorable-dimples. 

Caleb works at Subway. It’s not glamorous, and it barely pays the bills (which is why he works at two separate stores to grab more hours as needed). But if there is one saving grace, it’s the beautiful man that shows up everyday at 1:30 PM for lunch. 

And everyday, Caleb boots whoever he works with out of the way to take care of this customer. His coworkers tease him about it, but they still let him do as he pleases.

“And you don’t know his name?” Sarah asks as she slices tomatoes.

“Do I look like a mind reader to you?” Caleb is leaning, back against the prep table.

“But how do you know he even likes you?” Michelle pokes at him from the sink.

“It doesn’t matter,” Caleb waves one hand in dismissal, glancing at the clock that read ten minutes until mystery man’s arrival. “He’s likely straight, anyway. I just— I don’t know. I want to know his name. I’ve never had that urge before, you know? What’s a name mean, anyway? It’s just sounds thrown together to mean ‘this one person, here’ versus ‘this other person, also here.’” He uses his coworkers as examples to explain his meaning.

“You’re weird.” Sarah smirks.

“And you’re an asshole. Now we’re square.” Caleb grins and he places a drain plate in the next bin for tomatoes.

“I can flirt with him for you, find out his name.” Michelle offers.

“YOU SHALL DO NO SUCH THING, WOMAN.” Caleb doesn’t really yell this, rather he deepens his voice and enunciates each word as if they are sentences in their own right.

“Oooo. Caleb’s getting defensive.” Sarah coos, looking back at Michelle and wiggling her eyebrows.

“Damn straight.” 

“You mean, damn gay.” Michelle snickers.

Caleb rolls his eyes and perks as the door opens and in walks the topic of discussion. Caleb jumps into action right away. “Welcome to Subway! Here, again! Would you like your usual?”

The mystery man grins and waves just a bit with his hand. His dimples appear and disappear as he speaks. “Yes, please. So, how has your day been, so far?”

Caleb nods, “Same old, same old.” He grabs a loaf of wheat bread, slices it, and cuts it in half. “Worked the morning shift and now that the girls are here, I get to relax a bit.”

He laughs and asks, “What? You’re just going to leave all the work to them?”

Caleb rolls his eyes, a big smile plastered to his face. “As if. I did all the prep this morning and I counted inventory.” Caleb stops in his making of a club sandwich to look the man in the eye. “That’s not my job. I’m not the manager, but I did it anyway.” He goes back to placing the cheese and moves on to the veggies.

Mystery man laughs. “My hero.”

Caleb feels his face flush and he quiets. It feels awkward and unnatural for them, so he struggles to find something else to say as he adds mayo and mustard to the sandwich, finishing it off. “Uh, what about you? How’s your day gone?”

Mystery man scratches at the back of his head and smiles with only one side of his mouth. It’s fucking adorable. “Ah, well. I turned in three reports already, but I still have to go through a thousand emails and attend a meeting later today. So— fun.” The last bit is dripping in sarcasm. 

Caleb doesn’t think he’d ever get caught working behind a desk. It just didn’t suit him, no matter how good the pay. He wraps up the club sandwich and Sarah— the witch— pulls up to the cash register to ring up the customer. He glares daggers at her, but she only head-nods toward the door. A whole party of people stroll in for another rush round of late lunchers, and Michelle jumps to the meat and cheese counter, starting on the first in line. 

Caleb internally sighs as he bags the sandwich.

“Club lunch special. $8.41.” Sarah says, and the mystery man hands over his card to pay. Sarah turns it to swipe and hands it back. “You have a wonderful day, Lucas.” She hands him his receipt and card back. 

Caleb openly gawks at her. How the literal fuck had Caleb missed just looking at his card. 

Lucas laughs and it startles Caleb out of his trance. “Sorry, you just looked really cute there. Don’t know why you made that face though.”

Caleb’s eyes were wide and Sarah hit him in the arm and whispers, “ask him.”

Caleb shoves her to the side a little and hands Lucas his sandwich and cup.

She shoves back and is louder in her whisper, “ask. Him.”

Lucas frowns and looks between them both, sandwich and cup in hand. “Ask me what?”

Caleb is frozen, the only movement he makes being the opening and closing of his lips as he tries and fails to form words or even sounds.

Michelle hollers from the veggie line and kicks Caleb in the shin. “He wants to know if you’d like to go out sometime.”

“And he would love to have your number,” Sarah adds. 

Caleb can feel his face burn. He blurs his eyes to brace for the embarrassment of a lifetime. But Lucas’ form smiles and Caleb quickly tries to fix his eyes so he can take it in clearly before it disappears.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’d like that. But uh…” He pats his pockets and looks back up at them. “I don’t have a pen on me. Can I borrow one?”

Sarah grins and hands him one, and a napkin. As Lucas is writing down his number, Michelle starts Oo-ing from Caleb’s side. 

Caleb doesn’t mind that he’s the butt of their jokes at the moment. He’s about to get the number of his crush for months now, and red-faced or not, elation is not so easy an emotion to be overshadowed by embarrassment. 

Lucas slides the napkin and pen toward Caleb with a smile. “Call me. Tonight?”

“Y-Yeah.” They both beam at each other before Lucas turns to leave, needing to go back to the office. 

Soon as Lucas leaves, Caleb turns on his co-workers. And his co-workers,  ** _and_ ** the customers that were present for the exchange, all badger him for the next hour left in his shift. 

**Author's Note:**

> I didn't want to write for Nano and commit to 50k when I know that a) I'm not great at long story commitments, and b) my life is a bit busy. However, I didn't want to NOT write this month. So, I decided to commit to a prompt a day for the month of November of whichever fandom I enjoy which gives the prompt the most spark. I'm using [this](https://n7month.tumblr.com/post/188450175349/n7-month-challenge) prompt list I found from tumblr, in case anyone wants to reference it or join in.


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